Six architects on the shortlist to design new concert hall

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The International Music and Performing Arts Charitable Trust Scotland (IMPACT Scotland) has announced a shortlist of teams who will compete to design the planned arts centre behind the RBS building at 36 St Andrew Square.

The plans are for a 1,000 seat auditorium with rehearsal studios and recording space.

The trust say that this new building will meet the need for a purpose-built mid-sized performance venue. They also point out that a new hall along with the existing venues in the capital would ensure that Edinburgh retains its position as a leading music city.  It is expected to become the new home of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra which is represented on the board of IMPACT along with RBS, the Dunard Fund and Edinburgh International Festival.

There were 69 expressions of interest in the competition and now six teams from Edinburgh to Canada have been chosen in the shortlist:

They are (in alphabetical order of architect firm lead):

Adjaye Associates (London) with Sandy Brown, Buro Happold and DHA Designs

Allies & Morrison (London) with Charcoalblue, Speirs & Major, Harrison Stevens and Buro Happold

Barozzi Veiga (Switzerland) with Alan Baxter, Max Fordham, KahleAcoustics, 3DReid and Ian White Associates

David Chipperfield (London) with Arup, Whitby Mohajer Engineers, GROSS MAX and Theatre Projects

KPMB (Toronto) with Simpson & Brown Architects, David Narro Associates, Arup, Sound Space Vision, rankinfraser landscape architecture and Transsolar Energietechnik

Richard Murphy (Edinburgh) with Arup, Graven Images, GROSS MAX and Montagu Evans

Sir Ewan Brown, who is the Chair of IMPACT Scotland’s judging panel said, “We have an extremely strong shortlist to choose from. The submissions we received show that this project will transform the resource available to Edinburgh’s Festivals and provide new opportunities for music groups across Scotland by building for greater inclusivity and access.”

A decision on the winning team is expected to be taken in early April.